Quote:
Originally Posted by pepper24
Fair point but if kids have a proper inner circle (parents, friends, siblings, coaches, church members etc.) then they learn that Hollywood is what it is...entertainment. It's unfortunate that too many kids are taught life via tv, internet, music etc. not by that inner circle. It's one of the biggest black eyes of current society in my books.
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Be careful how much blame you throw at friends and family in a situation like this. This is a horrific tragedy, but the kid made the decision to do it himself. I understand that people are looking for answers and maybe it makes them more comfortable to be able to point fingers, but the kid's family had nothing to do with it. My parents know the shooter's family very well, and I went to high school with his older sister. They are all wonderful people who are struggling to understand how this happened just as much as anyone else. You can raise your kid perfectly, but at the end of the day they still have to make their own decisions and be responsible for their own actions, and in this case Derek's actions have largely made victims of his family members as well. No, they weren't shot, but the stigma of an event like this will follow them around for a long time - not to mention the psychological beating his parents are taking wondering where it all went wrong.
I don't know the friends at all, but the above statements may or may not apply to them as well. To the girl who apparently heard Derek threaten his ex and saw him push her out of a chair, why wouldn't you call the police and report that? I really don't think anyone believed Derek was capable of something like this, but maybe that phone call could have saved 4 lives.